

Welcome to the Emergency and Acute Care Clinical Research Fellowship, in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Florida College Of Medicine – Jacksonville. The primary goal of this one to two year fellowship is to provide clinicians with the skills needed to become successful physician scientists who can design and implement high quality clinical and translational research studies leading to independent research careers. The fellowship includes both hands-on practical research experience as well as a complementary didactic component with a focus on key skills that will advance research training including: 1) epidemiology and study design, 2) data science and biostatistics, 3) grant and manuscript writing, and 4) ethics of human subjects research. Each fellow will be assigned a faculty mentor who will serve as his/her primary research mentor to guide the fellow’s research education, research project(s), facilitate dissemination through national conferences and peer-reviewed publications, and foster career development. The didactic component may be individually tailored to each fellow’s previous education and research training to provide a well-rounded educational experience.
Program Overview
Research Training Curriculum
Primary Mentor: Fellows will work with either Dr. Fishe or Dr. Sheikh, depending on whose research expertise most closely aligns with the interests of the fellow.
The structured didactic curriculum will include instruction in the following areas:
- Research concentration (chosen with Primary Mentor guidance). Areas of research emphasis and strength within our Department include artificial intelligence / machine learning, emergency medical services, asthma, pain management, medical toxicology, opioid abuse/overdose, pharmacogenomics, and precision emergency medicine.
Research Methods
- Hypothesis Generation
- Research Design
- Data Management
- Biostatistics and Data Science
- Manuscript Preparation, Submission, and Revision
- Project Management
- Data Visualization and Presentation
- Grant Writing
- Clinical Trials
- Regulatory requirements
- Medical Research Ethics
- Career Development
Research Division
The Division of Emergency Medicine Research in the Department of Emergency Medicine is highly productive, publishing the results of research studies in top peer-reviewed journals and presenting nationally on a yearly basis. The Division has cultivated 3 K23 awardees and 2 R01 awardees, in addition to numerous other foundation and industry grant awardees. For a list of individual faculty profiles see: https://hscj.ufl.edu/emergency-medicine/research/faculty.aspx
Application Process
Motivated applicants who have completed emergency medicine, pediatric emergency medicine, or other acute care clinical training are encouraged to apply. For questions or more information please email Jennifer.Fishe@jax.ufl.edu or Sophia.Sheikh@jax.ufl.edu
Faculty
Research Fellowship Leadership
Research mentorship will be provided by one of the Department of Emergency Medicine Division of Research’s six dedicated research faculty and with advisement from the fellowship director. Areas of research strength within our Department include artificial intelligence / machine learning, emergency medical services, asthma, pain management, medical toxicology, opioid abuse/overdose, pharmacogenomics, and precision emergency medicine. Our clinical research faculty have expertise in sepsis, pediatric emergency care, pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic pain management, trauma and injury prevention, shock/resuscitation, geriatric emergencies, medical toxicology, patient safety, simulation, prehospital care, and health literacy and are actively involved in prospective clinical research including prospective clinical research studies, clinical trials, and large data sets.
Fellowship Directors:
Jennifer Fishe, MD, Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine, Assistant Dean for Research, UF College of Medicine – Jacksonville.
Dr. Fishe serves as one of the fellowship directors, and will supervise fellows interested in pursuing research in pediatric emergency medicine, AI / machine learning, asthma, precision emergency medicine, and/or emergency medical services. Dr. Fishe is a NIH-funded researcher (KL2, K23, and R01) with a focus on pediatric asthma and emergency medical services research. She serves as a Vice Chair of UF’s IRB-01 and is passionate about education regarding human subject protections. Dr. Fishe was named Assistant Dean for Research at the UF College of Medicine – Jacksonville in 2024, after serving as Director of the UF Center for Data Solutions from 2018-2024. Dr. Fishe has served as a research mentor to over 15 residents, fellows, and faculty, all of whom have presented at national meetings, published in peer-reviewed journals, and / or attained extramural grant funding.
Sophia Sheikh, MD, Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine, UF College of Medicine – Jacksonville; Medical Director Florida/USVI Poison Information Center- Jacksonville. Dr. Sheikh will supervise fellows interested in pursuing research in pain and medication safety, opioid overdose and abuse, pharmacogenomics/genomics, precision medicine, and geriatrics. She has received funding support as the Principle Investigator from federal, foundation and industry sponsors. She has served as a research mentor for numerous students, residents, fellows and junior faculty.
Research Division Leadership:
Phyllis Hendry, MD, FAAP, FACEP, Assistant Chair of Research, Professor of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine. Dr. Hendry is a tenured professor of emergency medicine and pediatrics at the University of Florida College of Medicine – Jacksonville. Dr. Hendry has been assistant chair for emergency medicine research since 2008. In addition to numerous clinical leadership roles including TraumaOne deputy medical director, previous regional director for pediatric hospice and palliative program, and Community PedsCare, Dr. Hendry’s research initiatives include serving as principal investigator for the Pain Assessment and Management Initiative (PAMI) and the Pediatric Emergency Care Safety Initiative (PECSI). She has been the principal investigator for numerous federal and private grants, as well as clinical trials totaling more than $6 million. Dr. Hendry was the Jacksonville site principal investigator for University of Florida’s first Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute grant titled, “An Emergency Department-to-Home Intervention to Improve Quality of Life and Reduce Hospital Use” (2014-2017). Her areas of research interest include pain management, patient safety, pediatric trauma and emergency care, EMS data systems, health literacy, bereavement and end-of-life care.
Contact Us
Emergency Medicine Research
1st Floor, Clinical Center
655 West 8th Street
Jacksonville, FL 32209
904-244-4986
Jennifer N Fishe MD
Sophia S Sheikh MD
Administrative Specialist:
Amy Kennedy
904-244-4986